Eastern Michigan’s history against Conference USA team’s isn’t very good, but EMU isn’t dwelling on history these days.Instead, the 2016 Eagles fashioned their own bit of history by getting to the Bahamas Bowl. One of the steps along the way was a victory over C-USA’s Charlotte 49ers.It will be a . . .

CMU opens against struggling Rams programCentral Michigan stumbled through much of the stretch run last year, winning just one of its last six outings. Granted, the Chippewas did knock off MAC East co-champ Ohio with that one win. Granted, also, they did make it to a bowl game. That turned out to be a 55-10 defeat.No doubt, head coach John Bonamego and his Chippewas are more than anxious to get things back on track. What better way to get the chains moving, so to speak than hosting a struggling Rhode Island team in the 2017 opener.Central will be . . .FBS program.(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

By Evan MeyerThe Toledo Rockets were picked by many of the coaches and the media within the Mid-American Conference to not only win the Western Division, but to be victorious in the MAC Championship Game.

Toledo’s 2017 journey begins Thursday night when the Midnight Blue and Gold launch their 100th season of football by hosting the Phoenix of Elon University. It is the first meeting between the two teams.(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

The Buffalo Bulls last saw P.J. Fleck following a 38-0 Western Michigan shutout last November in Kalamazoo. Although WMU was on the 2017 Bulls schedule again, there seemed to be a pretty good chance that Fleck would be moving on if his team won the MAC championship and reached a New Year’s Day bowl.

They did, and he did, as MAC champ Western Michigan made it to the Cotton Bowl and Fleck accepted a job at a Big Ten school.​But wait! That school was Minnesota, and guess what! The Golden Gophers open 2017 at home against Buffalo.(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) Head Football Coaches have provided their own 2017 Preseason Poll and, based upon voting by all 12 head coaches, Ohio and Toledo have been selected to win the East and West Divisions respectfully.

In the East Division, a margin of only eight points separated first-place and second-place. Ohio was selected first with 69 total points followed by second-place Miami with 61.. Bowling Green finished third, followed by Akron, Buffalo and Kent State.

Huskies have questions; need answers

There was a time when one was tempted to at least pencil Northern Illinois into the MAC Championship game. The Huskies made six straight appearances in the title game and won the crown three times. No doubt teams wondered how . . .

Bobcats aiming for another run at title

Ohio walked a fine line last year, tying Miami atop the East but making the championship game due to a tie-breaker win at MU just before the RedHawks caught fire. OU won six of seven outings during one stretch before a 27-20 setback at Central Michigan. That put Ohio in a must-win situation for the regular season finale.Defense, Ohio’s forte all . . .

Can Rockets deliver in role as favorite?

By EVAN MEYERWith a wealth of talent on board and plenty of experience, Toledo was an overwhelming media choice to win it all – MAC-wise, anyway -- in 2017. The Rockets actually pulled 21 votes to win the conference title game, with three other teams splitting the remaining three votes.Of course, the challenge for UT is to bring those vibes to fruition. Despite some . . .

Can healthy, hungry Zips bounce back?

By EVAN MEYERInjuries were no small part of the Akron Zips fortunes in 2016, so a key to moving up the MAC East standings this season will be avoiding the injury bug -- or at least being able to plug in quality replacements when injuries do occur.

Publisher﻿

Mike Smith saw his first MAC footb﻿a﻿ll action as a nine-year-old while hanging onto the flagpole of a nearby baseball stadium. The view got better after he discovered he could get in free at halftime. Decades later, he can usually be found either on press row or along the sidelines.Mike has won awards for both his stories and pictures during his time in journalism. Combining his own skills with those of other writers and photographers, along with conference and school resources, he constantly works to provide an enjoyable MAC product.

ATTENTION WRITERS!MAC Reporter Online is seeking contributors for coverage at a number of Mid-American Conference schools.Several “levels” of participation are available for writers or photographers. For further information, contact Mike at: mro24mike@gmail.com.